When breaking down the Detroit Lions roster and identifying their biggest needs, it does not take very long at all to observe that they don’t have a ton of top-end talent at the wide receiver position.
During the offseason, whether it be via free agency or the 2022 NFL Draft, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Lions will be adding a couple of wide receivers to the mix.
According to a report from Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network, the Lions have shown “a lot of interest” in Kentucky WR, Wan’Dale Robinson.
Kentucky receiver Wan’Dale Robinson ran much faster than expected in the 40-yard dash, timing under 4.40 seconds. He’s getting a lot of love in the scouting community. As I mentioned before the receiver took the field for Combine workouts, he’s drawing comparisons to Rondale Moore based on his size, quickness, and ability to create yardage after the catch. The Detroit Lions have shown a lot of interest in Robinson.
Robinson is undersized (5-foot-8, 178 pounds) but he is extremely shifty and fast and he can help the Lions both at WR and in the running game as he carried the ball 141 times in college (only 7 times in 2021).
In addition, Robinson has ties to the Lions as he was coached by Kentucky’s current offensive coordinator, Liam Coen.
Prior to his stint at Kentucky, Coen served as the Rams’ assistant wide receivers coach (2018-19) and their assistant quarterbacks coach (2020). Coen is now back in Los Angeles as their new offensive coordinator, but if Lions general manager Brad Holmes still has a connection with Coen from their shared time in LA, that could be some valuable intel.
“Liam, I’ve talked about him plenty in the interviews with different coaches,” Robinson said last week at the combine. “He’s really well-respected, and I love Liam to death, too.”
If the Lions do want to select Robinson in the 2022 NFL Draft, they will likely have to take him on Day 2.
